Eagles WR Jeffery could open season on PUP list
Seahawks-Raiders at Wembley as Tottenham stadium isn’t ready
PHILADELPHIA, Aug 14, (RTRS): Still recovering from shoulder surgery, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery could begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, according to an NFL Network report on Monday.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jeffery is “progressing according to plan” but might not be ready for the season opener and could remain on the PUP list. Remaining on PUP into the regular season would require Jeffery to miss the first six games, although he would not count against the 53-man roster.
Jeffery had surgery in late February to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, an injury he played through after suffering it in August 2017. He is about a week away from the six-month timetable he was given to return, but he has remained on the PUP list since training camp began and appears no closer to being activated.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley left practice with what the team labeled a mild muscle strain in his leg.
“Saquon has a mild strain, and we’ll be smart with him as we move along
here,” head coach Pat Shurmur
said.
The Chicago Bears are finalizing a rookie contract with first-round pick Roquan Smith and the linebacker is expected to end his holdout, according to multiple reports.
The four-year deal reportedly will be worth $18 million, fully guaranteed, with a signing bonus of about $11 million. Like all rookie deals, it will include a fifth-year team option.
Smith, whom the Bears took eighth overall out of Georgia in April’s draft, has yet to report to training camp as the sides have been unable to reach a deal. Chicago rookies reported on July 16, with veterans arriving three days later.
Jeffery
Barber to work ahead of rookie Ronald Jones.
Barber, 24, totaled 423 rushing yards on 108 carries (3.9 per carry) with three touchdowns in 16 games (four starts) last season, along with 16 catches for 114 yards. Koetter expressed confidence in Barber’s ability to fill any role required of him, although he doesn’t envision a high-volume role for the third-year pro.
Barber played 14 snaps against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, touching the ball six times (four carries, 21 yards, TD; two catches, minus-1 yard) before sitting out the rest of the night with the starters. Jones, whom the Bucs took 38th overall out of USC in
Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson will play against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, returning to game action less than a year removed from a torn ACL in his left knee.
Robinson, who turns 25 this month, was sidelined for all but three plays of the 2017 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars due to the Week 1 knee injury. He tallied more than 2,200 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns from 2015-16, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 after setting a franchise record with 14 TD grabs.
The 6-foot-3 Robinson signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bears in March and was cleared for training camp. He will now become the top target for 2017 No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky, who struggled as a rookie with limited weapons at his disposal.
The San Francisco 49ers intend to sign running back Alfred Morris to a contract, coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Morris, 29, needs to pass a physical before the 49ers will formally sign him. He is familiar with the 49ers’ offense as he played in it for two seasons (2012-13) when Shanahan was offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins.
Morris rushed for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie in 2012 and followed up 1,275 yards and seven touchdowns the next season to earn the first of consecutive Pro Bowl nods. Shanahan was fired after the 2013 campaign along his father, head coach Mike Shanahan.